Reality bites in first electrified village
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Friday April 10, 2015 13:52
The first born of government’s successful 100 Villages Electrification Project, and residents of Gakuto have always been justifiably proud of their village. Ironically, Gakuto lies in the shadow of Gaborone bright lights, in Kweneng District.
Today, the village looks very different from the small agrarian settlement it appeared to be eight years ago when the delegates in shiny suits and the ‘white men’ from Sweden gathered to officially launch the 100 Villages project.
On that day, a blazing white tent was filled to the brim as Swedish contractors and financiers rubbed shoulders with government ministers, officials and media to launch what arguably became the country’s most successful electrification project. One hundred villages in 36 months and Gakuto was the first of them all.
Eight years later, Gakuto boasts many modern houses. Electric poles line the streets and the promises made in 2007 to the effect that electricity would transform the village, appear to have come true.
A Mmegi team news crew that visited the village this week, found its Kgosi, Abdul Boikotlhao Letlamma, beaming with pride at the area’s growth. Visibly excited at the news crew’s visit, Letlamma could barely hide his delight in recalling the joy of electrification.
“In 2007, as part of a rural improvement effort, Gakuto was selected together with 99 other villages for electrification,” he said.
“At the time, the village was undeveloped and there were only a few yards here and there.
“The layout map for the village was in place and after electricity was installed, people were then allocated plots and they established their new homes.”
The introduction of electricity attracted growth and Gakuto found itself the centre of attention.
“When this place was officially declared a village, the population was 500, but by 2011, it had around 2,900 residents.
“Many people from all over the country applied for residential and commercial plots and the traditional (mud) structures are slowly fading away as residents build modern homes.” Where Gakuto had a school and clinic, it now boasts a post office, Mascom Kitsong Centre, Nteletsa II facilities and even a small business centre. Electricity has indeed transformed the village, and the new businesses and homeowners have become accustomed to the convenience, like their peers elsewhere in the country. This convenience, however, is not perpetual and businesses and homeowners have also been introduced to loadshedding, again following in the footsteps of their peers elsewhere in the country.
Kgomo General Dealer and Butchery owner, Kgomotso Mmipi, felt the impact of loadshedding last year, when her business went for 48 hours without power.
“Even though the situation was better in the shop, my butchery lost a great deal of money as the meat became spoilt,” she said.
“At the butchery we use an electric saw to slice the meat and a scale to weigh the meat. But when there is no electricity, all that is not possible.
“Fridges also need special temperature to keep the meat fresh and without that, there is no way of keeping the meat fresh.” A young entrepreneur, Thomas, benefited from the Mascom Kitsong Centre initiative, which offers services such as typing, photocopying, secretarial services, photo booth and others. He also has had his fill with the blackouts.
“Ga ke kgone go dira sepe tota fa go sena motlakase ka gore sengwe le sengwe fa se dirisa motlakase,” said the young man, who declined to reveal his last name, saying he is already widely known there.
“My shop offers these services and am willing to expand them, but if we keep on having loadshedding, there is no way I can achieve my goals.”
According to Thomas, loadshedding is not completely terrible in the village and is not as frequent as in other areas. Letlamma, who was present at the 2007 launch, is unfazed by the loadshedding. The benefits of electricity connection far outweigh occasional interruptions, he believes.
“In the past, we lost a great deal of opportunities as many companies donated gadgets such as computers, air conditioners and others to us and we had to return them because we had no electricity,” he said.
“This electricity is diversifying the village and bringing about employment opportunities.” In addition, having electricity has reduced crime in the area due to the greater employment and lighting available. Police officers are now readily available and are combating vice in the area.
“Yes, like other Batswana, we experience power cuts that last for a few hours. However, the Botswana Power Cooperation always informs us in time and it is better to know, than to just be in the dark,” the chief said.
Letlamma does have one wish though: that the kgotla would be electrified.
Although water is not abundant, residents still manage to access some drinking water on a daily basis. This electricity brought by new developments that are visible and people in the village are optimistic that what they are experiencing could in turn help diversify and create employment opportunities.
Normally development trends come with social ills such as crime, but Letlamma is happy that such ills are minimal in the village. He is thankful to government for merging the two police forces as their presence in the village has helped a lot to combat crime in the village.
“I will not say there are no criminal cases in my village, but I can attest that they are minimum and minor offences. I hope this situation remains the same even after my village grows bigger as I am confident that it is still going to grow,” he said.
“My kgotla has long been wired, but the electricity is not installed, as we do not have a metre box,” he said.